The Ring Around The Moon
by Idhrenwen
Summary: When all four sisters aged 19 through 25 spend their summer in New England with their magical cousins, they encounter more than just a relaxing summer holiday. Chocolate cake for breakfast, magical mishaps and a new evil they've never seen before!
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Charmed, Practical Magic, or Otis Redding. Nor Oldies fm. If it exists.

**Chapter 1**

- The Long Drive -

The night was dark and empty, the searing heat that had been a present from one of the first days of autumn having faded along with the light, leaving the air crisp and fragrant. The stars, clearly visible in the cold sky, twinkled merrily. The moon, for once, had no sign of trouble: no rings around it, no colors…

Instead, its unusual clarity seemed to accentuate the beauty of the landscape by night. The world seemed empty, save for a lone black Jeep speeding down the highway.

The car was filled to the brim with four young women and their luggage, all of their faces bearing the telltale features of Halliwell: Dark hair, finely chiseled cheekbones, willpower, and, of course, a hint of mystery. It was there in the innocent face of the youngest, as she slept with her head in her sister's lap. It was there in the eyes of the eldest, who was steering the car with every bit as much accuracy and determination as she handled every other aspect of her life. It was there in the tired visage of the second, as she slumped forward in the passenger seat after a long day of driving and navigating. And it was there in the grim set of the third sister's jaw, as she absentmindedly stroked her younger sister's long brown hair.

The atmosphere in the car was one that is only known to those that have traveled considerable distances by car. The back seat was sticky due to the can of soda Paige had knocked over earlier on. The floor was covered in sweet wrappers, lollipop sticks and empty bags. After a long day with not much more to do than eat, Piper's provisions had nearly run out. An admirable feat, considering the amount and quality of the food she prepared were huge. But that was not what Prue was thinking as she scanned the road for the sign she knew was coming. A quick glance in the rear view mirror told her her two baby sisters seemed fast asleep, as was Piper in the seat next to her. A sigh from the back seat, however, caught her attention and when she looked again, Phoebe was looking back at her, brown eyes wide open.

"Pheebs, are you okay?" Prue asked softly. "Why don't you try to get some sleep, honey?"

"I can't," Phoebe replied, "there's just… too much going on in my head right now."

"Are you thinking about Grams again?" "Among others…" Phoebe answered. "The funeral was really beautiful," Prue stated almost philosophically. "She'd have liked it. All those people there, all those innocents she'd helped during her life…" "Yeah," Phoebe said softly, "she was a great woman. But the way she… died, it just seemed, anticlimactic in a way…"

"I know what you mean," Prue whispered. "After all those demons, who'd have thought it was her heart condition that would get her in the end."

She glanced at Phoebe in the mirror again, and was surprised that her sister's big brown eyes had filled with tears. "Pheebs, what's wrong?" "I just feel it's my fault!" Phoebe replied, her voice breaking. "If I hadn't fought so much with you, if I hadn't left for New York…" "If I'd believed you about Roger, you might not have moved out. It's like that for all of us, Phoebe. If Piper had tried harder to keep us together, if Paige hadn't rebelled so much… We all feel guilty. But it's not our fault. Grams had her heart condition all her life. It was bound to catch up with her, after all the stress in her life. We can't blame ourselves. And, on the plus side, it's not like we're never going to see her again, is it?" "You're right. I'm being silly." Phoebe sniffed.

Prue reached over to the glove compartment and got out a tissue. "There you go, honey." "Thanks, Prue." Phoebe blew her nose loudly, the noise and the movement causing Paige to wake up a little. "What's going on? Are we there yet?" She asked sleepily. "No, not yet. Go back to sleep, baby." Paige nodded groggily, shifted a little to get more comfortable and closed her eyes. She was asleep again almost instantly. "You too, Pheebs," Prue whispered. "Go to sleep. I'm going to wake Piper in a few hours so she can take the last shift, and when you wake up in the morning, we'll be there!" "Phoebe nodded, her delicate features breaking into a huge yawn. Prue smiled as Phoebe nudged Paige aside so she could get into a more comfortable position.

After a few moments, the mingling of three people breathing evenly instead of just two before told Prue that Phoebe had finally gone to sleep as well. She sighed as she adjusted the car into cruise control. This was going to be a long night.

-PPPP-

"I don't understand why we couldn't just have orbed to the aunts' house!" Piper whined as she climbed back into the car, going to sit at the drivers' seat. "Oh, come on, you know why we couldn't. They have enough trouble with being witches as it is, they don't need us arriving there without a suitable explanation as to how we got there." Prue replied, getting into the car as well while nursing a cup of hot coffee she'd gotten from the cafeteria at the gas station. She handed the cup to Piper, who took a careful sip before placing it in the cup holder. "We do it all the time at home," Piper argued. "Nobody so much as blinks an eye there if we turn up without an explanation!"

"Piper, we live in San Francisco for crying out loud! We could turn up dressed as clowns carrying piñatas and nobody would notice or care, while our cousins live in New England, on a small island I might add, where town gossip is about as interesting as the Oscars are in LA. We can't just come orbing in. They'd notice, which is not what the aunts, nor us, as a matter of fact, need!" Prue finished, strapping herself in. She glanced at the back seat, where Phoebe and Paige were still fast asleep, a tangle of limbs and dark hair.

Somehow they'd ended up from Paige having her head in Phoebe's lap with Phoebe leaning against the window, to Paige folded over, head on her knees, with Phoebe sprawled out, lying on Paige's back. "Piper, take a look at this!" Prue whispered, trying to hold back her laughter. Piper turned around and grinned as she saw the impossible position her two baby sisters had managed to maneuver themselves into. Paige was going have one hell of a backache tomorrow. As she clicked her seatbelt into place, Piper grimaced. Seemed like Paige wasn't the only one with a backache. Sleeping while leaning into a seatbelt apparently wasn't good for one's spine. She took another sip of coffee and started the car while Prue made herself comfortable, knocking over several empty bottles of Gatorade.

Piper took another look at the map lying in front of her. "So, I go all the way down the 90, take exit 167, drive down to the coast and after that all that's left is the ferry?" "Yes. Wake me when we get there, 'kay?" Prue yawned. Piper nodded, and backed out of the parking space. She took another sip of coffee and drove out of the parking lot and onto the highway again. "Sleep tight, Prue." "Thanks," Prue replied, "but in this position, I highly doubt it." Piper smiled.

-PPPP-

When Paige woke up, the first things she noticed were the rising sun, the sensation of her jeans-clad knee pressing into her face and a dead weight on her back. She groaned, while sitting up and shoving Phoebe off rather roughly. Phoebe merely sighed and curled into a ball. Paige stretched, trying to get rid of the pain in her back and catching Piper's sparkling eyes in in the mirror. "Good morning, sunshine!" Piper laughed at the disgruntled look on Paige's face. Paige made a rude hand gesture. Piper's smile only got bigger, especially when she noticed the extremely detailed imprint of jeans on Paige's face. "What's so funny this early in the morning?" Paige whined.

"Take a look at your face, baby," Piper replied, tossing a small compact mirror to her sister. Paige opened it and shrieked. "This goes way beyond pillow lines! Look at my face! Oh my god!" Piper reached into the large pile of sweets, tampons, lip balm and other goodies (it was a girls' car, after all) that had assembled itself on the dashboard and pulled out a packet of wet tissues. She tossed them at Paige, who pulled one out and wiped her cheeks, pulling a face at her reflection in the mirror.

"Do you know when we're going to get there? Or, more importantly, when breakfast is? I'm starving!" Paige stated loudly. "Keep it down, will you?" Piper replied. "Prue and Phoebe haven't had as much sleep as you and me. Let's not wake them for a little while, okay?"

"'Kay." Paige whispered. "And as for breakfast," Piper smiled, "you are a very lucky witch. It's only one more hour until we get there. And you know what the aunts serve for breakfast!" "Brownies!" Paige whispered excitedly, her round brown eyes glazing over in prospect of the chocolate treat. Piper shook her head in disapproval, still smiling. "Aw, come on, sis, even a health freak like you can have a brownie for breakfast now and then! Besides, chocolate makes you happy! It's good for you!" Paige said, her eyes twinkling mischievously.

"I'm still hungry though," she added, face falling. "Is there anything left in the coolbox?" "I'll check," Piper replied, taking one hand off the steering wheel to flip the lid off the box and feeling around for anything in there. She pulled out two bananas and tossed them to the back seat. Paige caught the pieces of yellow fruit and eagerly pealed off the skin of the first. Next to her, Phoebe began to stir. She sat up straight, rubbing her eyes and stretching her arms behind her back. "Morning!" Piper called from the front seat, smiling brightly. "Banana?" Paige supplied. Phoebe grinned. "No thanks."

She brushed her short brown hair from her eyes. "My hair is all sticky…" "Yeah, that'd be Paige's thing. That soda ended up all over the place." Piper replied. "Paige!" Phoebe scolded. "Sowry," Paige answered, mouth full of banana. "Wha'?" She asked off her two sisters' looks. "I'b eadin'!" "Paige, if you're gonna apologize for something, at least do it when you haven't got food in your mouth!" Phoebe said, disgruntled. Paige swallowed. "I know," she answered. "I'm sorry. If it's any consolation, my hair's sticky too." "O yeah, that makes me feel real good." Phoebe joked. Paige pouted. Piper smiled to herself at her sisters' antics.

"I'm really glad you kept your long hair, though, Paige." Piper called from the front seat. Up until recently, all four girls had had the same haircut: long with bangs in front. When Phoebe and Prue had moved out of the manor, however, they had both cut their hair really short. Piper had been heartbroken, both about the move and the cutting of hair. She and Paige were now the only ones left who still had the traditional Grams' style haircut, though Piper had recently had it trimmed, leaving Paige as the only one with hair past her shoulders.

"You know, guys, it's just 5 more minutes or so until we reach the ferry and we can wake up Prue…" "Really?" Phoebe asked. Piper nodded. "So that would make the ferry ride… about thirty minutes, and then half an hour more to get to the house?" Paige asked. Piper nodded again as she steered the car in the direction of exit 167. "Good," Paige said, taking another bite of her banana while Phoebe attempted to tame her hair.

"Piper, do you have a scrunchie or something up front? I just want to tie my hair back." She asked. "Want to look pretty for the ferry guys?" Piper teased, producing a pink hairband out of nowhere and handing it to Paige, who handed it to Phoebe. "Always," Phoebe replied. "You know me and sailors." Piper and Paige laughed while Phoebe tied her hair back. It was a little too short to completely fit into a ponytail, but it looked a lot better than the sticky mess it had been before.

"Oh look, guys, there's the sea!" Paige pointed out the window with her second banana. "And I can see the ferry!" "I thought it would be bigger…" Phoebe remarked. "Well, it doesn't need to be any bigger. It's a small island, not a lot of people need to get to it, except for the ones that live there and some tourists, I suppose." Piper said, while stopping the car behind the ones already in line to get onto the ferry. "Now, who wants to wake Prue?"

The two younger girls quickly looked away. Prue was not an easy person to wake. She tended to slap away anyone who dared intrude on her much needed rest. "Come on, guys, she wanted us to wake her!" Piper pleaded. "Correction, she asked you to wake her. We were asleep at that time!" Paige replied cheekily. Piper stuck her lower lip out, and her sisters caved. No one could resist a pouting Piper.

"I say we gang up on her!" Phoebe said suddenly. "That way, she can blame no one in particular, and we'll have eachother as backup when she goes berserk." "Don't you mean if she goes berserk?" Piper asked. Paige gave her a pointed look. "You're right. She's Prue. She'll go crazy. So here's the plan: I'll call her name, Phoebe will poke her, and Paige, keep that banana ready in case we need something to stuff her mouth with." "No, not the banana! It's mine, mine, mine!" Paige exclaimed, ready to defend her precious article of food. Her protests faded into grumbling, however, when Piper looked at her sternly reminding her of the wrath of Prue.

"So, on three?" Phoebe asked. Her sisters nodded. Paige started counting. "One, two… Three!" Piper called out Prue's name, while Phoebe poked Prue in the ribs, Paige waving her banana. To their utter surprise, however, Prue calmly sat up and inquired as to the time. "Uh… it's 7.30. Aren't you going to flip?" Paige replied anxiously. Prue started laughing. "Come on, guys, I was awake the whole time. You talk loudly. Am I really that hard to get up?" "Are you kidding me?" Phoebe answered. "You're worse than Grams was!" "No way!" Prue said incredulously. "Way." Paige replied, now peeling her second banana.

Piper opened the window, letting the fresh sea air drift into the car, while Prue turned on the radio, searching for the correct wavelength. When they'd left San Francisco, they had listened to, as Paige usually put it, 'angsty teen rock', but now all that could be heard on that frequency was static. After some fine tuning, the voice of an announcer could be heard. "And now, people, Otis Redding with "The dock of the Bay" on Oldies fm!" "Ooooh, leave that on!" Phoebe squealed. "That's Grams' song!" As the first notes of the song filled the car, Phoebe joined in, singing along with the radio.

By the chorus, all three of her sisters had joined in as well, falling easily into an old routine they'd developed when they were still kids, living with Grams. Grams had always been a big fan of 'real music', as she called it, and through being exposed to it all the time, the four young Halliwells had developed a fine taste for music from that period of time.

"I left my hooooooooome in Georgia," Paige crooned, drawing out the 'home', after which Prue joined in with "Headed for the 'Frisco baaahaaay!" The reference to their hometown had always made this their favorite part of the song.

"And I've had nothing to live for, looks like nothing's gonna head my waaahaaay!" Phoebe and Piper sang together, breaking out the old-school dance moves as well.

The people in the cars around the Jeep were watching the four dark-haired girls doing their routine in the car with smiles on their faces. After all, it was amusing to see Phoebe and Paige, both pretending they had microphones in their hands, put their heads together and sing enthusiastically, with Prue and Piper in the front performing a stunted version of a complicated background dance.

"Just sittin' here restin' my bones," Prue sang, "and this loneliness won't leave me alone,"

"Two thousand miles I roamed," Piper joined in, "just to make this dock my home!" All four again joined in the last chorus, bobbing their heads and tapping their feet in time with the music.

As the song ended, the sisters collapsed in their seats, laughing like crazy. "I have to say," Phoebe panted, "That dance is a lot harder to do when you're strapped into a car seat." Paige nodded enthusiastically, while happily munching on the last bit of banana. Piper started the car when the cue moved, and drove onto the ferry.

-PPPP-

_A/N: So… What do you think? I wrote this a while ago after I watched Practical Magic, and I've always thought it would make a great crossover to do with Charmed, especially after I found out there weren't any yet (at least on this site)… Please review, but don't be too harsh.. It's my first fic! _


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N: So… chapter 2… Thanks to all of you who reviewed! I really appreciated it!_

_I got quite a few questions concerning the sisters' ages, their relationship to the Owens women et cetera, so here's a short explanation._

_Prue: 25_

_Piper: 23_

_Phoebe: 21_

_Paige: 19_

_All four grew up with Grams in the manor, after Patty died. All four have their powers and have known they're witches their entire lives. They've only recently started fighting demons, however, since Grams's death a few months before robbed them of their anonymity among the magical community. Grams, on that note, has two older sisters: Frances and Bridget. Their cousin, Regina, died when she was still young, leaving behind two daughters: Sally and Gillian, aged respectively 24 and 22. For those of you that have seen the movie, I placed the events of this story roughly the summer before the Aunts 'spellbind' Sally to Michael, with Gilly visiting for the summer as well. If that makes sense. _

_Anyways, I hope this helped. Now, on to the story!_

**Chapter 2**

- Sisters and Seagulls-

The small deck of the ferry was filling up with cars quickly. Piper shut down the engine as the car came to a complete stop again, shutting the window and pulling the keys out of the contact. Prue opened her door, hopping out of the car and quickly stretching. She could feel the muscles in the back of her neck tense up as she breathed in the crisp sea air and looked around her. The sun was now fully out, and climbing steadily across the clear blue sky, bringing the promise of yet another wonderful day. Behind Prue, Paige and Phoebe were clambering out of the car, bringing a brightly coloured shower of candy wrappers with them.

Prue reached inside the car and pulled out her sunglasses, before shutting the car door.

"Hey, pick that up!" She instructed her younger sisters who were now ridding each others' hair of the mess that had somehow found its way into it: especially Paige's was ridiculously filthy. Prue's face broke into a smile as she watched Phoebe pick a rather large piece of gum from Paige's neck, shrieking in disgust as both her and Paige realized what it was.

"They're kinda like monkeys, aren't they?" Piper's voice sounded beside her. "You know, defleaing each other and all…" "Hey!" Paige protested. "It's not my fault that Phoebe dumps her stuff on me!" "I do not!" Phoebe replied indignantly. "Do too!" "Do not! And besides, you don't need me to get filthy. You seem to get along fine on your own!" Paige swung a blow at Phoebe's head, which she swiftly avoided , retaliating immediately by squirting Paige with her water bottle. Paige shrieked, and started chasing her sister across the deck, nearly running into an elderly man.

Prue and Piper laughed as they watched their youngest sister chase Phoebe all the way to the other side of the deck, wrenching the water bottle out of her hands and dumping the contents all over her sister's head. Phoebe moved to get revenge, but seemed to forget her wrathful plans immediately when Paige shrieked and pointed down the side of the ferry. In a few short moments, both girls were hanging over the railing, straining their necks to see something, that neither Prue nor Piper could see, but was apparently very interesting. It was good to see Phoebe acting so carefree, Prue pondered. Her sister'd been riddled with guilt lately surrounding Grams's death and her feud with Prue, but the talk they'd had in the car last night seemed to have cleared all of that up.

Phoebe and Paige had similar personalities, both being fun-loving and outgoing in general, but Phoebe had always been a little… darker. She'd rebelled terribly as a teenager, hanging out with the bad-boy crowd and pissing off Grams whenever she could. And sure, Paige had had her moments as well, but on the overall she'd always remained herself, the happy youngest with the carefree personality and a million friends. Phoebe, however, had only gotten worse as time progressed, throwing herself into superficial relationships and growing apart from her sisters, despite Piper's peacemaking attempts and Paige's befuddlement. She had come around, however, after returning from New York, and Prue was glad for it. She'd missed her sweet and extroverted sister, no matter how much she might have denied it earlier.

"Prue? You still there?"

Prue was suddenly aware of Piper waving her hand in front of her face, trying to get her attention. "Oh, I'm sorry. I must have spaced off a little." "Yeah, I'd say you did," Piper laughed. "What were you thinking about?" They walked to the back of the ferry, looking at the large trails the boat was leaving. Piper rested her elbows on the railing, squinting against the clear morning sun. She shaded her eyes with her hand. "Just Phoebe," Prue replied. "I see," Piper replied. "She's changed, and I'm happy about it. She's becoming herself again, which is good. I missed her." "Yeah, me too." Prue admitted. "No!" Piper responded laughingly. "Prue, talking about her feelings? Missing Phoebe? Are you sick?" She put her hand up on Prue's forehead, pretending to check for a fever. Prue slapped her hand away. "Yeah, well, you know that I'll deny it under oath." Piper grinned, closing her eyes and relishing the feeling of the sun on her tired face.

"But seriously though, Piper," Prue picked up the subject again, " I was just thinking how much she and Paige are alike, and yet they're so different." "How do you mean?" Piper asked, shading her face with her hand again in order to look at Prue.

"Well, try to look at it this way: if you had to describe each one of us with one word, which ones would you choose?" Piper contemplated this. "You're 'surly', of course." Prue supplied, grinning cheekily. Piper cocked one eyebrow at her. "Right…" She drew out the word, before taking a breath and continuing. "Well, I'd say that the word 'proud' describes you best. Oh, I know," she continued off her sister's quizzical look, "there's more to you than just that, but it just seems to summarize your motivations best. Me? I'd like to think I'm 'kindness', or 'patience'." She waited for her sister's nod of approval, before continuing. "Paige would be… bubbly. Or wacko. Not sure which."

"Go with bubbly," Prue said. "It matches her hair accessory of the day." Piper smiled. "But Phoebe… I don't really know. She has Paige's bubbliness, if you will, she's perceptive, but at the same time she's just as proud as you are, and she can really get off track." Prue smiled at Piper's subtle insights. "You see what I mean?" Piper nodded, and both sisters fell into a silence as they watched their respective conversational subjects, now feeding something to the gulls.

"Hey, what is that they're feeding those animals?" Piper said suddenly. Prue squinted her eyes. "It looks like one of your sandwiches. You know, the ones with the tuna?" Prue grinned as Piper took off immediately, sprinting across the deck in the direction of their sisters, waving her arms and shouting something about wasting perfectly good food. She turned around to stare out over the ocean again. So much had happened during these last couple of months. Grams's death, Phoebe's return from New York, and, probably the biggest change of all: the loss of the relatively sheltered and anonymous life they'd led under Grams's witchy care. When their formidable demon-hunting grandmother had passed away, her three sisters had automatically looked to her to take over their little coven. Soon after, the demon attacks had begun, and suddenly her days had been filled with scrying, mixing potions, writing spells and saving innocents.

As a result, her performance at the museum suffered, and she'd received a formal warning to get 'back on track', to quote her executive manager. And failure was not something Prue was used to. She'd excelled in high school, in college, in everything she did. She'd never had to stop to consider what would happen if she didn't get what she wanted. It didn't matter, because Prue always got what she wanted. Got being the operative word in this case. And so, she'd cracked. She'd had a major fight with Phoebe, thrown a tantrum at the office, and had even blown up at Paige, who had stared at her, shocked, her round eyes filling with tears. And that had been the final blow. Prue had never made Paige cry. Never. Disgusted with herself, she broke down completely.

Piper had, as a final solution, proposed a relaxing holiday away from San Francisco and the local underground. New England had seemed the only logical choice. After all, what better way to relax than spending a few weeks away from all of the chaos back home, inconspicuously improving their magic under the watchful eyes of those she knew would never judge them: their family. Strong Aunt Frances and sweet Aunt Jet, Grams's older sisters who had remained in the family's ancestral home on the small island. Practical Sally, who craved so desperately to be normal, and vivacious Gilly, who was anything but. They'd spent several summers on the island before, but the last visit had been a while ago, when Prue was seventeen and Paige was eleven.

Prue sighed, adjusting her sunglasses as they slipped off the bridge of her nose, and smiled at the prospect of what she was sure would be the cure to all of her troubles. Her stomach growled at the thought of chocolate cake for breakfast, a family tradition Grams, sadly, hadn't continued. Great. Now she was turning into Paige, with her everlasting hunger. Grams had always told them it was the orbing. Burned a lot of calories, but Prue was sure it was Paige's active character that was responsible. Just as she was thinking this, she was startled out of her reverie by the abovementioned sister bounding up to her like a puppy dog. Piper and Phoebe seemed to appear out of nowhere as well.

"Hey, Prue, check this out! You can see the house from here!" Phoebe practically dragged her to the railing, pointing at the cape of the Island which they were currently sailing past. The top of a wooden lighthouse could be seen peeking over the cliffs, and the sight of it filled her with happiness.

"Come on, you guys," Paige had rolled the window down. She and Piper had already gotten in. "We're docking in a few minutes, get your asses into the car so we can actually go to that house." She ducked back inside, only to poke her head out again. "Hey Pheebs, I found your cd. I think I sat on it…" Prue could practically see Piper rolling her eyes from the front seat as Phoebe sprinted towards the car. Prue followed her, and sat down in the passenger seat as the ferry slowly sailed into the small harbor.

_A/N: Aw… Poor Prue. She's had a lot to handle, hasn't she? Don't worry, we'll see more of the other sisters in the next chapter, which will also be the first time we meet the Owens'! I like to hear your opinions! Was it a letdown? All that you expected, if not more? Let me know and hit the nice shiny review button below! _


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N: So… I realise it's been a while… Real life caught up with me and wouldn't take no for an answer… But drum roll: A new chapter is here! Enjoy!_

**Chapter 3**

- Reunions -

Gillian Owens groaned as she made her way down to the kitchen. It was far too early to be up by her standards. In fact, it was probably far too early to be up by anyone's standards. As she reached the second floor, however, she could already hear her sister's cheerful singing. Clearly, normal people's standards didn't apply to Sally. Then again, normal standards never applied to anyone in their family. Gilly smiled. How very ironic. She jumped the last couple of stairs and trotted into the large kitchen, where Sally stood, happily preparing breakfast. Gilly sat down at the table, taking a sip of the orange juice that Sally had placed on the table.

"Morning."

Sally flipped a pancake in the air.

"Hi, Gils. You're up early. You decided to help me out with the preparations after all?" "Don't remind me," Gilly sighed. "This is not a civilized hour. The aunts up yet?" "Yup," Sally replied. "Aunt Jet's just gone into the garden to fetch me some mint, and I think Aunt Frances is still in the bathroom." "I see." Gilly took another sip of juice and started unbraiding her long red hair. "When did you get up?"

True to character, Sally was already washed, dressed and ready to go, while the sun was barely up. "Early," Sally replied, pouring another circle of batter into the frying pan. "I was preparing the guestroom." "Don't you mean the attic?" Gilly replied laughingly.

"OK, the attic, if you will. You don't think they'll mind staying in the same room?" Sally asked anxiously. Gilly shook her head. "I don't think so. They're just as close as we are, if not closer. They should get along fine. And besides, the attic's pretty big. If a fight does break out, at least they'll have enough room!" Sally smiled, sliding another pancake on top of the pile she'd already made. Just then, the kitchen door opened, and Aunt Jet's cheerful voice, mingled with the fresh morning air, filled the kitchen. "Oh, Sally, dear, we're almost out of mint, we shall have to plant some soon. And I picked you some rosemary, as well. How are the brownies doing?" Aunt Jet placed her basket on the kitchen counter and crouched down to see into the oven. "And a very good morning to you too, Aunt Jet," Gilly laughed. "O, I'm so very sorry, Gilly dear, I'm just so excited. To think we haven't seen them in seven years! How tall they must all have become! Four grown-up women!" Aunt Jet took off her straw hat and placed it on the table, then picked up her basket of herbs and walked into the pantry. "And they'll be here soon! Right now they're…" "Almost at the harbor." Aunt Frances came down the stairs, fastening her long dark hair with an ornate hairpin. "I feel it as well. What about you, Gillybean?" Gilly nodded, watching Sally's batter stir itself.

To an outsider, the Owens family might not have seemed out of the ordinary, but it was exchanges like the one occurring just now, that made them special, Gilly mused. Although their powers manifested themselves less spectacularly than those of their cousins (who were, after all, the Charmed Ones), they were still quite obvious. Gilly, along with both Aunt Frances and Aunt Jet, was clairvoyant. All three women had a gift for seeing the future, sensing the present and, on occasion, reliving the past. In contrast to their cousin Phoebe, however, their magic showed itself in a more subtle, almost subconscious way. Sally had received the power of telekinesis, again in a subtler version. Where Prue and Paige could both easily move objects of any size, Sally's power had its limits around the size of a large bucket of water. None of them had received Piper's power of particle manipulation, even though it had been the power both their mother Regina and their Aunt Patty had gotten.

Gilly tucked a wayward strand of hair behind her ear and reached over to the pile of pancakes, only to have her hand slapped away by Sally. Aunt Jet, still in the throes of excitement, talked on enthusiastically, while Aunt Frances checked on the brownies again. "Yes, almost at the harbor… Oh, and now with you here for the summer as well, Gilly dear, it'll be just like old times. All of our girls at home! And…" She stopped, mid-sentence. "Almost at the harbor! But they'll be here in… thirty minutes! Quickly girls, we must hurry! We're not ready!"

Aunt Frances put on oven mittens and pulled the brownies out of the oven, quickly putting them down on the stove. "Calm down, Jetty, we have plenty of time. Sally darling, did you ready the beds in the attic?" Sally nodded, pouring the last of her batter into the sizzling frying pan. "But we're not ready!" Aunt Jet cried, hurrying into the kitchen and grabbing her hat which was still on the table. "Gilly isn't even dressed yet!" Gilly looked at her purple pajamas guiltily. "Well, move it, move it, move it!" Aunt Jet ordered. "Sally, finish breakfast, Gilly, you get your skinny behind upstairs and get dressed. Fanny, help me check the rest of the house!" Aunt Frances rolled her eyes discreetly at her two cousins, and followed her excited sister to the dining room. Gilly jumped off her stool, quickly grabbing a pancake off the pile and stuffing it in her mouth before bounding up the stairs.

"Hey! You give that back!" Sally shouted at her sister's retreating back, before sighing and moving the frying pan off the stove and into the sink to quickly wash it up.

-PPPP-

Piper carefully maneuvered the car off the small ferry and onto the road, heading into the small town. Phoebe and Paige had their noses pressed against the window, pointing out things enthusiastically. "Hey, Paige, there's that baker, remember the time we played a prank on him with Gilly?" "Which prank?" Paige scrunched up her nose, trying to remember. "We played a lot of pranks with Gilly…" Prue laughed, while Piper added a "So true" from the front seat. Paige giggled guiltily, but then leaned forward between her eldest sisters' seats. "I never really understood why Gilly moved out?" She asked, suddenly sobering up. Phoebe leaned over as well, interested. Piper sighed, not sure how to answer this question, as she really didn't know the answer herself. "I don't know, Paigey. It had something to do with their… neighbourhood problems." "Which is also why we couldn't orb?" Paige asked. Prue nodded. "But I don't get it…" Paige whined. "Our magic is a lot more obvious than theirs, what with all the explosions and all," Phoebe shot her a dirty look, "but I don't see our neighbours ganging up on us screaming 'Witch'!"

Prue smiled as she heard her youngest sister echo Piper's question from last night. Piper grinned guiltily. "I asked Prue the same question, and she explained it to me pretty well, so… Prue?" Prue turned around in order to look her younger sisters in the eye. "Guys, the town here already suspects the Aunts of being witches… They don't need us getting to their house without an explanation. And while we're on that subject," Prue gave each of her sisters a stern look, "we need to be extra careful using our magic around here. The townspeople can not find out we're witches. So, Paige, no unnecessary orbing, Phoebe, no extravagant spells, and Piper, no freezing in public!" Paige pouted, while Phoebe, of course, immediately tried to find a loophole in her sister's instructions: "So, does this mean we get to do some extremely cool magic at the house?" Piper laughed, switching the Jeep into third gear as they sped out of the town centre and into a lane where the houses were situated a lot further apart.

"No, Phoebe, that does not mean you get to do some extremely cool magic at the house." Prue replied. "Knowing the aunts, however, that's probably what we'll be doing anyways."

Phoebe's smile could rival the rising sun. Piper grinned, rounding the corner that led to number 6, Magnolia Lane.

Paige pressed her forehead against the window once more, hoping to catch an early glimpse of the magnificent house that was their destination for the day. Even though she had been the youngest during their last visit, she was probably the one that remembered the most about it. Suddenly having five sisters, instead of three, and three grandmothers almost made up for the loss of her mother, and the absence of her father. Memories of extravagant breakfasts, climbing trees with Phoebe and Gilly, helping Piper and Sally in the kitchen and playing pinochle on the porch with Grams and the Aunts were all vividly painted in her mind. Paige had always been treated as the baby of the family, thus receiving special attention and a lot of sisterly affection. After her freshman year of college this year, however, and with Prue and Phoebe out of the house, Paige had become a loner. True, she had Glen, and plenty of other friends, and there was always Piper to go to when she had a problem, but the house seemed empty without Prue bossing everyone around and Phoebe brightening everything up. So, when Grams had died, the return of her two sisters was supposed to be a comfort. Instead, she'd gotten a rebellious, guilt-ridden Phoebe, an angry Prue, and Piper who never seemed to do anything but find compromises for those two. Day in and day out, she watched her sisters fighting and slowly breaking down, all the while trying to keep up with their demon duties, hoping against hope that things would work themselves out. It was only after Prue had screamed at her for breaking Grams's favorite teapot that Paige realized that things were seriously wrong. Prue had never screamed at her. Not like this.

Piper's suggestion to spend the summer at the Aunts' house, however, allowed her to hope again. During the car ride, the atmosphere had been almost like before, and it was the sight of her two cousins, red and dark hair flowing behind them as they rushed towards the car to greet them, that made Paige smile broadly. Yes, this summer would make up for all of the trouble they'd had last year.

_A/N: Wow. It seems that all four sisters have their problems… But hope is near! Please, Please, Please Review! It means so much to me to read your comments!_


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

- Reunions Part Two-

Even before the car had come to a complete standstill, Gilly yanked the back door open and launched herself at the cousin who happened to be closest. Paige laughed as Phoebe was completely smothered in squeals, red hair, and a giant hug. On the front side of the car, Sally was now hugging Prue as Piper rushed into the embrace of Aunt Jet. Gilly, who had finished hugging Phoebe crawled into the car, planted a kiss on Paige's cheek and started talking enthusiastically. "O my God, you guys, I'm so glad you're here! Pheebs, you are never going to believe what happened to me this year!" Climbing out of the car, the two cousins linked arms and practically skipped towards the house. Paige climbed out separately, to immediately greeted by the sight of her Aunt Frances, arms open wide. Paige slid gratefully into her embrace, closing her eyes and breathing in deeply. Immediately, it was as if they'd never been gone. The smell of the sea, mixed with flowers from the garden and her Aunt's hair, which had always smelled like rosemary was a very welcome change indeed from the stuffy air in the car. Aunt Frances pressed a kiss to Paige's temple, then held her at arm's length.

"Now, darling, let me look at you! You're hardly the little girl we waved off last time!"

Paige grinned, spreading her arms and spinning around. Aunt Frances took in her appearance carefully. "You look wonderful, sweetheart. I see your sisters have been taking good care of you. Just like they ought to," she added for good measure as Prue walked up to them and flung her arms around her sister's neck. Paige laughed as Prue stuck her tongue out at their Aunt playfully, after which the two sisters linked arms with their Aunt, one on the left and one on the right, and they set off towards the house.

"Now, Prue, darling… What on earth have you done to your hair!"

"Hey!" Piper yelled, "Now who's going to help me unpack the car!" Piper groaned and leaned her forehead against the cool glass of the car door. Judging from her sisters' nonexistent response (Paige was laughing as Prue got a thorough scolding about cutting her hair from Aunt Frances, and Phoebe was already nowhere to be seen), it was probably up to her. Again, seeing as she'd been the one to pack the entire car as well. "Ah well… Might as well get started," Piper grumbled to herself. She turned around to find her cousin standing there, hands on her hips. "You know, you'd think I'd have gotten used to the entire ignoring thing. God knows I get enough of that every day!" Piper blushed. "Sorry, Sal… I guess I was a little preoccupied with the fact that none of my sisters," Piper raised her voice, hoping against hope that Prue or Paige might hear her, "apparently is going to help me unpack." She walked around the car and hugged her oldest cousin tightly. Sally grinned. "Dearest cousin, look no further!" She let go of Piper, walking to the back of the car. "Owens Inc., for all your packing, unpacking and whatever else you need!" She reached down to open the trunk. "Actually, Sal," Piper injected, "I'm not so sure that's such a good idea, seeing as…"

Sally opened the trunk. Immediately, she was showered in brightly coloured stream of clothes, various assorted toiletries and, to top it all off, several rolls of toilet paper.

".. Paige never bothers to close her suitcase." Piper finished her sentence sheepishly, as Sally's disheveled dark head emerged from the enormous pile now lying on the grass. "Or pack at all, actually. I don't even know if she even owns a suitcase, come to think of it…"

"It's ok, Pipes," Sally puffed, blowing a strand of wayward hair out of her face as she scrambled up onto her feet again. "I live with Aunt Jet, remember. And Gilly is exactly the same. Thank the Gods for Aunt Frances. Come on, let's get this stuff to the house."

-PPPP-

"So why am I the only one who inherited the pale-skin gene?" Paige complained, turning to look at Prue. Both sisters were lying on blankets at the far end of the large Owens garden, soaking up the sun. Prue lifted her head, looking at her baby sister who, despite her desperate attempts to get tan, was still as white as a bottle of milk. "It's not fair!" Paige continued, pushing her gigantic sunglasses up into her hair. "I mean, Piper has darker skin than me, Phoebe, well, I'm not even gonna get into that," Prue lifted her head, looking at Phoebe who was walking towards them in a bright pink bikini, deeply tanned, as usual. "Even you tan easier than me!"

Phoebe plopped down next to her two sisters, setting down a flask of homemade apple cider. "Hey, you guys, what's going on?" She asked happily, spreading out a blanket of her own.

Her happy face turned into a frown, however, when she spotted Paige's back which was slowly turning beet red. "O my God, Paige, you're burning! You look like a lobster!" Prue sat up, trying to inspect the damage to her sister's porcelain skin. "She's right, Paigey. Phoebs, do you have the sunblock somewhere?" "See, this is what I mean!" Paige stated loudly, yelping as Phoebe poured a large quantity of sunblock onto her back. "Wow, that's cold." Phoebe started laughing as Prue, in response to Paige's outburst, poured even more of the ice cold liquid onto her sister's back and started spreading it out.

"Hey, that's not funny!" Paige's indignant voice floated through the garden. Piper looked up from her space in the herb garden where she'd been spudding up weeds with Aunt Jet. She smiled at her sisters'antics. Prue had covered Paige in sunblock completely, and was now threatening to do the same to Gilly, who had joined the three Halliwells on the grass, and who had, as Paige put it, thankfully inherited the pale skin gene as well.

"Why don't you join them, dear?"

Aunt Jet's voice startled Piper out of her reveries. "No, that's okay, Aunt Jet, I'm fine here." She bent down and started pulling out a particularly vicious weed. She could still feel her Aunt's gaze, however. Apparently, Aunt Jet was not easily fooled. She was an Owens, after all, her instincts sharply in tune, with the added bonus of clairvoyance backing her up.

"Really," Piper tried again, "I'm fine. I like working in the garden with you." To demonstrate, she started to pull out another weed. This one, however, would not budge. After several tries, Piper let out an angry cry, throwing out her hands as if to simply blow up the thing, but a stern look from her Aunt had her dropping her hands again in defeat.

"Piper, sweetheart," Aunt Jet's voice was kind but allowed no room for argument. "I know when something's wrong with my girls. Not only do I sense your troubled emotions, that is also the first time I have ever seen someone getting so angry at a harmless plant. Now, why don't you and I go to the kitchen, I will fix us some iced tea and we will have a nice chat."

While talking, Aunt Jet had pulled Piper up from her crouching position and steered her towards the veranda and into the house, which was empty save for a black cat that was snoozing in Aunt Frances' knitting basket. Aunt Frances and Sally had gone out on an errand, leaving Aunt Jet and Gilly to entertain their guests.

The cool air inside the dining room was a welcome change from the stuffy air and burning sun outside. Aunt Jet set down her straw hat on the dining table in the middle of the room, then led her young cousin down the hall towards the kitchen. Piper sat down at the table next to the window while Aunt Jet doubled back to the pantry to receive some ingredients for the tea. She looked around. The Owens kitchen, like the rest of the house, was magnificent: all of the kitchen cabinets were painted white with hand-blown glass panels allowing her to see inside. The large table in the middle held a great assortment of things ranging from seedlings soon to be transferred into the garden to cookbooks. A large door led to the conservatory, where the Aunts kept plants that were too sensitive to be outdoors, and beyond the sink the wooden stairs leading into the lighthouse could be seen. The main fixture, however, was the large AGA stove which was currently housing only an empty kettle, but was frequently put to use to bake large batches of brownies, or to cook up some complicated potion or lasagna.

Aunt Jet re-entered the kitchen with a large basket of dried strawberries and a small flask containing small purple crystals. She opened the fridge and got out a large jug of iced tea. She threw in some of the strawberries and several purple crystals, then poured it into two tall glasses. Setting one down in front of Piper, she took a large gulp out of her own glass and then sat down at the table as well.

"Now, dear, why don't you tell me what's wrong?"

_A/N: So… tell me what you think! I know, I know, it took a while for me to get this thing up… But it seemed to have a mind of its own, and it was hiding under the bed for a while. Anyways, I managed to trick it into letting me finish it, so… voila! Please, please, review!_


	5. Chapter 5

_A/N: I'm bad. I wrote this while I should be studying Dutch literature. Instead, The Ring Around the Moon is back and with a lot of issues being resolved. It's drama to the third power. No, actually, it's drama to the power of four!_

**Chapter 5**

"Now, dear, why don't you tell me what's wrong?"

Hesitating, Piper opted to take a long sip from her glass of iced tea to buy some time. As soon as she swallowed the cold, sweet drink, however, she realized her mistake. The belladonna. Almost instantly, she felt her body disobeying her and relaxing ever so slightly. Ever so slightly, however, was bad enough, she realized, as she felt her resolves starting to crumble along with her body.

Looking up into her Aunt Jet's caring blue eyes, Piper's brown ones started to fill with tears.

Immediately, Aunt Jet reached out across the table, taking her young cousin's hand and squeezing it. This, however, merely caused Piper to cry harder.

"Oh, sweetheart," Aunt Jet said softly. "My little witch… Tell me what's the matter, won't you?"

"Precisely that!" Piper choked out, burying her head in her hands. Outside, the other girls could be heard, laughing and screaming; a sharp contrast to her sad face.

"I don't want to be a witch anymore! It's just too much!" She sniffled and made to wipe her face on her sleeve. Aunt Jet produced a tissue seemingly from nowhere and handed it over, not saying a word. Piper blew her nose and continued, growing more frustrated with each word.

"You know, Aunt Jet, I used to love being a witch. It just made everything more fun, really… Do you know that we used to play with our powers all the time when Grams wasn't around? We'd play hide and seek, with everyone trying to cheat as much as possible. But Phoebe would win pretty much every time, even with Paige orbing all over the house and me and Prue trying to distract her from finding us. She'd always know where we were gonna hide before the game even started."

Piper smiled through her tears.

"Being a witch was a part of us, you know? And it used to mean a little extra fun when we were playing, flashy fireworks and getting to see our dead mommy once in a while. But now with Grams gone, all the fun has gone out of being a witch. I know we do a lot of good each day, and I'm grateful for that, but at the same time I feel like I'm constantly fighting demons, brewing potions, saying spells and orbing all over creation. And if I do get any time off, I'll spend it putting Paige through her freshman year, trying to manage an entire household all by myself while trying to finish college myself…"

She paused, looking up at her Aunt with teary eyes.

"And then, on top of it all, Prue breaks down and takes Phoebe down with her, leaving Paige distraught and confused and me trying to fit the pieces back together as usual. I'm just exhausted. I want a normal life. Or at least my relatively normal life back!"

Aunt Jet took her cousin's hand again.

"Oh, dear, I understand how you feel! If it weren't for your Aunt Fanny and Penny, God bless her soul, I'd have given up a long time ago! But I learned, as you must, that there is no escaping from our magic. It's not only a part of who we are, but it infuses our entire family, our entire world even. Even if you were to quit the wiccan life, magic would still haunt you day in day out. You'd see innocents suffering, and you'd feel terrible that you could be doing something about it. If you were ever to have children, they'd feel the burden and the blessing that is magic as well. And no matter how hard you would try and forget about it, you will never be able to look at the world in quite the same way. Believe me: I speak from experience."

"Really?" Piper asked, curious as to what could have possibly made her Aunt, who was practically one of the matriarchs of magic, want to quit practicing witchcraft.

"It's true, darling. I've thought about quitting several times: when poor Regina died, after your mother's murder, when my sister passed away... I even tried a few times, you know. Of course, Fanny wouldn't talk to me at all during those times, and I'd miss meddling in the affairs of the heart. Every night I'd sit by my window and smell the herbs from the garden, and my mind would wander to what wonderful potions I could concoct using them. I'd be sweeping the floor and I'd find myself doing it with reverence. I couldn't even look at an apple without thinking of the craft. And finally, I'd cave. I know now that magic and our family can never be separated, and I'm all the happier for it."

"Every gift comes with unwanted side effects, but I don't think I need to remind you about those. Instead I always like to think that what we receive in turn for those sacrifices, in the end makes it all worth it."

"Even being shunned by townspeople, or having no life?" Piper asked softly.

"Yes, dear." Aunt Jet replied. "Even those things. And what do you mean, no life? I have a life, and a very active one at that! How dare… These young people nowadays!"

Piper giggled, feeling the last remnants of her depressive mood vanishing.

"And now, young lady," Aunt Jet stood up, pulling Piper up with her, "you are going outside and spend some time with those pesky sisters of yours, while I put on some music to celebrate the beauty of life!"

She crossed the kitchen, opening one of the cabinets and strangely enough pulled out a phonograph that looked like it had seen several centuries. Piper grinned, wiping her face.

"Make it Aretha Franklin, Aunt Jet. To honour Grams's memory."

With that, she ran up the stairs to retrieve her bathing suit. Soon enough, Aretha's soulful music was blaring through the house. Piper didn't even question as to how Aunt Jet had gotten the ancient musical device to work, let alone play relatively modern music on it.

"It's magic!"

Piper quickly changed and bounded down the stairs, the lyrics of the happy song resounding in her mind.

"_Looking out on the morning rain  
I used to feel so uninspired  
And when I knew I had to face another day  
Lord it made me feel so tired.  
Before the day I met you,  
Life was so unkind  
You're the key to my peace of mind!_

'Cause you make me feel, 

_You make me feel, _

_You make me feel like a natural woman!"_

-PPPP-

Prue crept up the stairs leading to the attic silently, hoping against hope not to wake her sisters. She'd been talking to Sally in the kitchen, and neither girl had realized how late it had become until the clock in the living room had chimed twice.

As she reached the attic, she could vaguely make out the contours of her sisters' sleeping forms. Piper was sprawled out on top of the bunk bed, a contended smile on her face. Prue smiled, remembering how Piper, after a long and apparently meaningful talk with Aunt jet, had joined her sisters and Gilly in the garden.

Paige and Phoebe were lying side by side in the antique brass double bed, Paige on her back and Phoebe taking up about three quarters of the bed, limbs everywhere. Prue made her way across the darkened room, trying to make as little noise as possible, until she stubbed her toe rather painfully on a large chest.

"Ow! Damn!"

She hopped the rest of the way to the bunk bed, avoiding Piper's neatly stacked stuff and Phoebe's cluttered mess.

Suddenly, a small voice sounded from the double bed.

"Prue?"

Even in the dark Prue recognised the form of her youngest sister sitting up in bed.

"Paige, sweetie, what are you still doing up? It's past two in the morning!"

"You know, I could ask you the same thing. Who'd have known that you and Sals would make such party girls!" Paige replied cheekily.

"Paige!" Prue whispered, scoldingly.

"Alright, alright... Phoebe keeps kicking me outta bed. I fell out twice already, that girl just cannot stay still!"

"No kidding…" Prue groaned, getting into bed herself. Paige's reply was so soft she almost missed it.

"How would you know?" Even when whispered, however, there was no mistaking Paige's resentful tone.

"Excuse me?"

Paige's voice grew louder. "I said, how would you know! You've never gotten along with Phoebe! Where were you last year when she moved to New York, leaving all of us behind! Where were you when Grams tried desperately to get her to move back! We needed you, Prue, and you were always off doing something 'important'."

Paige angrily emphasised the important by making sarcastic quotation marks in the air.

"In fact, you're practically the one that forced her to move in the first place! And then, after Grams died, suddenly you're bossing us around, making us traipse all over the underground… Newsflash, Prue: you can't go from being barely there to being constantly on our backs. I know you're used to being Master of the Universe, but that's just not fair!"

Paige finished her angry rant, out of breath.

"Well, I'm sooooooo sorry for hurting your feelings, little Miss Know-it-all," Prue shot back, "but I was too busy trying to save all of our asses! Did you ever even consider I didn't want to be head witch? You guys practically forced me to. If I'm being bossy, it's because you three need, no, want me to be. I didn't see you stepping up and declaring: 'Who needs a life, I'm gonna devote my life to slaying slimy demons!' You were all too lazy, so I had to step up.  
And it's not like Grams' shoes are easy to fill, either. You know what? I almost got fired because of this! You want me to be nice? Concerned? You think your life sucks? Try being me for a change!"

"O yeah, right, all hail the mighty Prue Halliwell, without her we'd all be dead! Well, I'm sorry if I haven't quite joined your little fanclub yet, Prue!" Paige retorted angrily.

"You know what? That's fine," Prue yelled, "it's not like you really belong in this family anyways, you egotistical little brat!"

The moment the words left her mouth, however, she regretted them. Paige didn't say anything, but Prue could see her baby sister's eyes glistening with tears before she dove under the covers.

"Paige…" Prue whispered. The only answer was a stifled sob from the other side of the room.

Prue got up and carefully made her way to the double bed where her sister's hunched up from could be seen shaking under the covers. She sat down on the edge of the bed, putting her hand on Paige's back.

"Don't touch me!" Came Paige's muffled cry. Prue, however, didn't remove her hand.

"Paige, sweetie, I'm sorry for saying that. I was outta line. It won't happen again."

"Yeah, that's what you said last time." Paige threw the covers off. Her round dark eyes were red rimmed. "You can't keep doing this, Prue. We can't keep doing this. It's not fair to any of us."

"I know," Prue replied. She started to tear up as well. "But I can't help it! I'm just so stressed out by everything."

"We all are," Paige whispered. "Grams' death took a lot out of all of us. But you need to get over it, Prue. We need you to become our big sister again, not just our leader. I need you to be my big sister again. I know you, Prue. You're not a quitter. You've never been a quitter. But you've never had to fight for anything either, like the rest of us have. And I don't think you know how to deal with that. I know I'm not Piper, but maybe I could help you with it. I'm pretty good at solving problems…"

"I really am sorry, Paige." Prue whispered. "You belong in this family as much as I do."

"Oh, we all know you belong in this family," Paige joked. "Stubborn, stubborn, more stubborn…"

Prue grinned. She could feel her sister's hand seeking hers in the dark and squeezing it.

"Yeah, well, I could say the same thing about you, missy."

"I know," Paige replied, suddenly serious again. "And I'm sorry too. I know you gave up a lot to be our head witch. And we all love you for it."

There was a moment of silence, before Prue softly replied: "Yeah, I love you too."

Paige faked an astonished gasp. "Prue Halliwell, was that… an admission of sentiment? Who are you, and what have you done to my sister?"

She was immediately punished for her cheek, however, when Prue grasped her foot and started tickling mercilessly. Paige cracked up, laughing wildly.

"No, no, I believe you!" She managed to say between cries of laughter. "You're Prue, you're my sister, my leader, my queen!"

Prue let go of her sister's foot. "Well, that's all I needed to hear!" She joked, lying down next to her sister.

"You know, Paige, you're gonna be a pretty good social worker…" She whispered into the silence. "Thanks," Paige replied, falling back onto the bed as well. "That really means a lot, Prue. Hey, do you wanna sleep here?"

"Yeah," Prue replied, "Cause it's sooo far to my own bed." She smiled. "OK, I'll stay."

She clambered over her youngest sister and lay down in the middle of the bed. Both sisters fell into a comfortable silence. Soon enough, Paige's breathing evened out, and she fell asleep. Prue rolled over to get more comfortable, only to get hit in the face by one of Phoebe's flailing arms. Prue swore softly under her breath, and moved away from the danger that was her sleeping sister, but bumped into Paige in the process, who crashed off the bed and onto the wooden floor.

"Ow! Damnit, Phoebe!" Paige yelled, angrily.

From the other bed came Piper's sleepy voice. Paige's pissed off cry had apparently been the final straw to wake her up as well. Only Phoebe proved to be such a deep sleeper that she wasn't disturbed by anything.

"Keep it down, will ya? People are trying to sleep over here."

Prue giggled. Paige grumpily clambered into bed again, and the three sisters already in the big bed were joined by Piper, so the bed was covered in a mess of limbs, dark hair, and tired faces. Paige snuggled close to her older sisters, still teetering dangerously close to the edge. Prue sighed happily. This was the way it was supposed to be.

_A/N: All you expected? Less than satisfactory? Let me know, I thrive on reviews. _


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